More than 5.7 million people live with heart failure in America. In the early stages, the disease can be managed with a combination of medication and a healthier lifestyle. As time progresses, however, treatment becomes more complex. Patients from around the world have sought care from the nationally renowned team at Ochsner. Here, in the largest program for advanced heart failure treatment in the Gulf South, patients receive the latest treatment options and personalized care.

Why Advanced Heart Failure Treatment at Ochsner?

At Ochsner, you don’t fight heart failure alone. Our multi-disciplinary team is comprised of the region’s most passionate and experienced transplant cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, interventional cardiologists, electrophysiologists, nurse practitioners, nurse coordinators, social workers, pharmacists and dieticians. Your referring physician also continues to be an important part of your team.

You’ll benefit from a customized treatment plan that addresses not just your physical needs but your mental and emotional ones. Open access clinics, telemanagement, nutrition counseling and social services help you achieve your goals.

Comprehensive services include:

Invasive and non-invasive diagnostic procedures

Inotrope support

Electrophysiology therapy

Short- and long-term mechanical circulatory support devices

Cutting-edge surgical procedures

Innovative cardiac rehabilitation

Ongoing disease management education in both inpatient and outpatient settings

Heart Transplant Program

With great experience comes greater outcomes. Ochsner’s Cardiomyopathy and Heart Transplant Program is the only Medicare-approved heart transplant program in Louisiana, performing over 20 heart transplants per year. Since 1970, when the first heart transplant in the Gulf South region was performed at Ochsner, more than 950 patients have undergone the procedure at Ochsner.

Amyloid Program

Until recently, patients with amyloidosis had to go outside the Gulf South for treatment. Today, you can receive care right here at Ochsner. This exciting new program allows for rapid diagnosis, multidisciplinary management and new therapies for treating different types of amyloidosis, especially amyloid cardiomyopathy and advanced heart failure.

Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS)

With national heart transplant wait times ranging from days to years, many patients look to Mechanical Circulatory Support (MCS) as a bridge to transplantation. LVADs are also used to help your heart work better if you are not eligible for a heart transplant, also known as destination therapy (DT). MCS devices, also known as Ventricular Assist Devices (VADs) or Left Ventricular Assist Devices (LVADs), support heart function and blood flow. Here in Louisiana, no one has implanted more of these life-saving devices than The John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute at Ochsner Medical Center – Jefferson Highway.

Schedule an Appointment Today
To make an appointment with our Heart Failure and Transplant Department, call 504-842-4721. You can also request an appointment through MyOchsner.

Pulmonary Hypertension Program

Pulmonary hypertension may also lead to heart failure. Our team actively participates in research and clinical trials offering a wide range of innovative and investigational treatments. Options include oral, inhaled, subcutaneous and intravenous therapies, as well as lung transplantation for advanced disease.

The Heart Failure Digital Medicine Program

With the Heart Failure Digital Medicine program, our team can help you manage your heart failure digitally. When you weigh yourself daily, take your medications, adopt a healthier lifestyle, and monitor your diet and sodium intake, this program can help keep you on the right track.

Ochsner is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, founded on providing the best patient care, research, and education.

We are one of the country’s largest non-university based academic medical centers.

Ochsner is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, disability or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.